The present invention relates to a device for the automatic lifting of a handset on conventional telephone apparatus.
Today, so-called headsets are most often used in connection with conventional telephone apparatus, whereby the user can speak into the telephone without having to use his/her hands to hold the handset.
In the years to come, on the headset market it is quite certain that an increasing use will be seen of wire-less headsets, e.g. based on the DECT standard which gives the user extensive freedom of movement within a smaller local area.
Such wire-less headsets will in many cases be configured to be able to be coupled to a given traditional telephone apparatus via a stationary base station, whereby the headset and the base station are inserted between the handset and the telephone apparatus.
The telephone apparatus hereby serves to enable the user to carry out the necessary calling procedure over the keypad of the telephone apparatus, and by means of a changeover switch the user has the possibility of being able to use the xe2x80x9coriginalxe2x80x9d handset or headset of the telephone apparatus.
Presumably, the wire-less headset will in many cases be used in the immediate vicinity of the telephone apparatus, i.e. within operational reach.
The operation of the headset takes place by lifting the handset from the telephone apparatus, either in order to answer a call or to make a call from the telephone.
In this connection it can be impractical to have to lift the handset from the telephone apparatus and possibly place it somewhere else for as long as the telephone call lasts.
A known lifting device which solves the above-mentioned problem is xe2x80x9cCradle Matexe2x80x9d, U.S. Pat. No. Des. 358 594. This involves a purely mechanical arrangement which lifts the handset from the telephone at that end which activates the line establishing switch of the telephone, while the other end of the handset rests on the telephone. The device comprises a plate part which is fastened on the side of the telephone apparatus, said plate part housing a lifting part which can be rotated by a knob or handle, whereby the handset can be lifted mechanically from the switch.
In many cases, however, the headsets of the wire-less type will not be used in the immediate vicinity of the telephone, and thus the user does not have the possibility of answering an incoming call without first having to move to the apparatus.
It will become immediately obvious that the base station could be configured in such a manner that calls could be detected electrically over the telephone line and control the telephone.
Unfortunately, at present there are a great many different national standards for telephone connections, connectors and ringing signals. Therefore, for a given telephone apparatus it is technically difficult to effect an electrical detection of whether a call is made to the apparatus. However, there is one clear indication of the extent to which a call is made to a given telephone apparatus, and this is in the form of an acoustic ringing tone emitted from the telephone apparatus.
Precisely this condition is used by a known lifting device, which is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. The device is produced by xe2x80x9cHello Direct Inc.xe2x80x9d, San Jose, Calif. 95138, and is sold under the name xe2x80x9cReadilinexe2x80x9d.
The above-mentioned handset lifting apparatus, which is also called a xe2x80x9chook switchxe2x80x9d, automatically lifts the handset from the telephone and thus activates the built-in switch of the telephone for establishing the line.
The apparatus, which is intended to be connected to a base station for a wire-less headset, detects the acoustic ringing tone from the telephone, upon which the apparatus transmits a signal to the wire-less headset to indicate that there is an incoming call.
If the person wearing the headset wants to answer the call, he/she must activate a button on the headset, whereby a signal is sent back to the base station which, upon receipt of this signal, results in the handset being lifted by the lifting device. The telephone connection is hereby established without the wearer of the headset having to be in the vicinity of the telephone apparatus itself.
The apparatus described above comprises a base-plate on which the telephone is placed, and an activator part which extends upwards in relation to the base-plate, and with which the side of the telephone is placed in abutment. The activator part houses an electric motor, control and signal electronics and a microphone. On the activator part there is a swivel-mounted, movable arm which engages with the underside of the handset, and which when activated turns upwards and herewith lifts the handset.
The apparatus described above suffers the disadvantage that it occupies a relatively large amount of space and is not as flexible as could be desired, in that certain telephone apparatus on the present market are unable to function in connection with this apparatus.
An apparatus for the lifting of the handset from a telephone is also known from European publication EP A 680 188. The publication relates to the use of mobile telephones, i.e. telephones of the kind which have a fixed part and a portable part which can be in radio contact with each other within smaller distances, in connection with conventional telephone apparatus which are coupled to a normal network and especially a local net. The technique which is disclosed in this publication makes it possible to use analogue portable telephones in connection with conventional telephones, e.g. telephones which are coupled to a digital local network.
For this purpose, the publication describes a lifting device of the kind as disclosed in the preamble to claim 1, and which can lift the handset from the conventional telephone when calls are made or when incoming calls are received, e.g. controlled by a changeover switch on the portable telephone or a microphone which is built into the conventional telephone.
In one embodiment (shown by way of example in FIGS. 6 and 7), this lifting device is mounted on the side of the conventional telephone, in that e.g. it is mounted by velcro tape. In this embodiment, the lifting device consists of a housing containing, among other things, a drive unit and an activator part which can be moved into and out of the housing by the drive unit. The activator part is bar-shaped, and at its outer end it has a bend which can engage in under the handset so that this is lifted by the outwards-directed movement of the activator part. With this embodiment, the lifting device must be adapted to the shape of the individual telephone apparatus, in that among other things the activator part must be configured depending of the shape of the handset and its distance from the side of the telephone apparatus. Consequently, this known lifting device does not lend itself to universal application. Moreover, with certain telephone apparatus configurations it can be difficult or even impossible to find a side surface which is suitable for the mounting of the lifting device, in that such a side surface must have a suitable angle in relation to the vertical plane and/or in relation to the handset and be suitably disposed in relation to the position of the handset.
In a second embodiment (shown by way of example in FIGS. 13 and 14 of the publication), the lifting device is configured as a relatively flat, box-shaped part which is placed between the handset and the fixed part of the conventional telephone at the place where the changeover switch of the conventional telephone is located, and where in the idle state the built-in switch is pressed down by a part of the handset. In this embodiment, the lifting device has an activation bar which extends between the activation button for the built-in switch and the handset, so that when an incoming call is received the handset is lifted at the same time that the activation button is free to move upwards, hereby establishing the connection. Like the embodiment described above, this embodiment suffers the disadvantage that it must be adapted to suit the type of telephone apparatus it is used in connection with, in that there must be a close relationship between the positioning and the configuration of the activation button of the telephone apparatus, the positioning of the handset on the telephone apparatus and the configuration of the lifting device. In certain cases it can be difficult or even impossible to find a suitable position for the lifting device, for example when the activation part of the built-in switch comprises a flap or the like which covers the whole of the area on which the relevant part of the handset rests. Moreover, the lifting device has to be relatively flat in order for it to be used in practice, which imposes additional upper limits on the physical dimensions of the drive unit and other components which are built into the box-shaped part.
It is a first object of the present invention to provide a lifting device with small dimensions and great flexibility.
An additional object is to provide a lifting device of the kind disclosed in the preamble to claim 1, which can be used in connection with a wide spectrum of telephone apparatus of different configurations.
This is achieved by configuring the lifting device disclosed in the preamble to claim 1 as described in the characterizing portion of claim 1.
By far the most types or models of telephone apparatus have a space between the handset, when this is in its rest position, and the remaining part of the telephone apparatus, i.e. its fixed part, in which at least a part of the bracket for the lifting device according to the invention can be placed. It will thus be possible to place the lifting device according to the invention on such a telephone apparatus, in that there will be wide scope for the positioning of the lifting device as such, merely providing that the demand that at least a part of the bracket can be placed under the handset is fulfilled. Since it is only on a part of the bracket in which the movable element is housed which must be placed under the handset, there arises no particular demands concerning the miniaturising of the components which form part of the drive unit as such, in that these components can be placed outside the relevant part of the bracket. Consequently, the components can be configured without any great difficulties with dimensions which provide the necessary characteristics regarding strength, functionality and resistance to wear.
Further advantageous example embodiments are disclosed in the dependent claims, and the advantages hereof will emerge more clearly in the following description.